The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-08
ENGLAND,s POSTAL SYSTEM.
Rapid Delivery of Letters-Impossibiifty OF
Recovering Letter After Posting.

ENGLAND'S POSTAL SYSTEM.
Rapid Delivery of Letters-Impossibility of
Recovering n Letter After Posting.
T. c. Crawford. in New York World.
The English postal system is an excellent one.
It is conducted at profit. The surplus money
of its revenues is applied each year to the i'm
provement of the service It's carrier system
has developed to such degree that letters and
papers are delivered throughout the rural dis
tricts with nearly much frequency in the
cities. The postman makes his round 80 often
that private letter-boxes are almost unknown in
the English postal stations In the city of Lon
don the mail is collected from the street boxes
pillars as they are called. severv hour after
SIS in the morning up to midnight Be-
tween midnight and S:15 there is
early morning collection at 3 o'clock
None of the mails taken up at the pillar post
for local delivery go to the main Office. They
are all carried to sub-stations, and from there
sent out. The system is complete for the
collection and carrying out of letters that you
send letter by post to the most distant part
of London and receive a reply by mail about as
quickly you could send and receive an answer
by telegraph. By this / mean a message sent
through the ordinary working of tho telegraph
system. The telegraph service, also conducted
by the postoffice, does not compare for
moment with the rapid mail service. The Post
Office Department. also does an express business
throughout the United Kingdom, and even dis
tant colonies This service is called the parcels
post. 1t corresponds to our express service. By
this post very bulky articles are carried at
very low rate.
came into personal contact with the iron clad
rules of the British postal system the other day
when sought to recover a letter which had been
mailed through mistake It was not an i'm portant
matter, but in the United States | never have
had any trouble in getting back letter from the
postal authorities when / able satisfactorily
to identify the letter. so l thought the expert
ment worth trying here went to a pillar
post where a postman was to arrive ten minutes
after the letter had been put into it, l ex-
planned the matter to friendly policeman close
by, and he said there would be trouble in get
ing my letter. bad the address of the letter and
the envelope had a monogram on its back, there
was no possibility of any mistake IN Identifying
it. In a few moments the postman arrived. He
dressed in blue solderke uniform,
trimmed with red He wore French military
cap, also blue and trimmed with red Over his
shoulder he carried long, loose hempen bag,
such a farmer might use for gathering apples.
of the bag. When the postman had emptied the
post box explained whatI wished He was
frightened at my asking for a letter and twisted
UP the bag at once. saying be could not even
consider such proposition, but if wished
could go with him to the station and submit the
matter there to the official in charge walked
along with him. This little British postman
appeared to be walking at q very lesurely pace.
but found out that to keep up with him
required very unusual exertion on my part He
took very short step. buth hobnailed shoes
came down very fast the sidewalk. His gait
was at least five miles an hour going to the sta
ion.
referred me to the inspector, a short, resolute.
full bearded man civilian dress. He said
nothing could be done. A letter once posted
the property of the addressee and the Post
master general responsible for the same
until it delivered. He asked me TO read the
rule. did SO, and found the rule forbade the
surrender of mail matter, after ir
posted. to the person posting it; but at the foot
of the rule found a possible excep ton to it in
appeal to the secretary OF the Postmaster
general This gave me a new leg to stand
then called on the postmaster of the station. L
asked him how long before the letter would be
sent out of the station for delivery. He said
wi of n L
if he would hold tho letter if got an order from
the secretary the Postmaster general. He
said he would certainly obey any order of that
official, but he would not hold back the letter
second without such an order.
left him, having three quarters of an hour
to e some three miles down in the city reach
the secretary. Through the underground rail-
road / was able to get to the main department
within twenty five minutes and in ten minutes
more, with very little ceremony-not 30 much as
would be required to reach the Postmaster
general a. Washin gtop-I was ushered into the
presence of the working head of the English
post-o1ice department. the secretary to the
Postmaster general L asked him if he would
consent to give back the letter. He
!. cessively polite. but absolutely unyielding. He
said he had no doubt about my ability to ideuti-
fy the letter. He was sorry that he could do
nothing, but the rule to which his de-
parIment had adhered for y. years without s any
nearly every day psople representing all con-
ditions and degrees of life in England seeking to
have letters given back to them which have
been posted through mistake; but we never
have waived the rule" said: "The object of
the rule is undoubtedly to protect the interests
of the public?'
Certainly that is the object"
"Then you who make the rule and sus-
pend it at will certainly ought to have some dis
erection. If you convinced that public
injury can be done. then you surely can safely
suspend tho rule"
''What would our subordinatss say if we
should break own ruesl
Those rules are made for your subordinates,
who should have no discretion in the matter; but
no subordinate would have any right to Ques-
ton the discretion Of the rule-making powers"
He shook his head at this and said it was not
a matter for argument. The English Post
Office Department never waived its rule. then
asked him if he would not do so if he were
fronted with q case where the delivery Of let
ter would de velop some domestic tragedy a
great scandal. At this he said:
81 have ruled upon your case, and you must
confess it not serious. / will decide the
serious one when it is actually presented. am
not IN the habit of presenting Hypothetical de-
cisions upon hypothetical cases. However /
have no hesitation in saying to you that do not
believe the rule would be broken even then. At
any rate should not SO act without consulting
our solicitor"
''But meanwhile, under your system of swift
delivery and the rule that letter should be
delayed in it's transmission, the letter would be
delivered before you could reach your solicitor"
''Ah' said he, II that you admire the
perfection of our postal system and although it
hits you a little hard now You must confess it is
the best postal system in the world, and We
keep it that way by rigidy adherins to our we'll
considered rules"